Hell On Earth
by CubeyKyuubi
Summary: Rinne is a homeless boy who sometimes eats at the help center where Sakura serves meals. What are his ties to the man sharing his family name and running the underground in Shinai City? AU.
1. Prologue

**Hell On Earth**

Sakura pushed her way through the crowds. Further and faster she went along until a stoplight halted her movements. Dozens of people crowded her, waiting for their chance to cross also, moving towards home or the night shift on this Saturday night. The tall skyscrapers on either side made Sakura feel uneasy. They proposed safety, off the ground from the violence, accidents, yelling, honking, and hell the city was made of.

The light changed and Sakura hurried along with the crowd. She thought that even on this level, this part of town was 'better' than where she was going. Where the glass and steel skyscrapers held fancy condominiums and businesses was left behind for rundown apartments full of countless people who barely make rent, and hardly feed themselves, and owned by slumlords. Where hundreds of alleys held lurking danger, and those people could no longer help themselves; that was where she was going. It was where she felt of some use. It was where a small group of people actually cared about those people, teen mothers let go by their families, men who lost the fight with addiction, children who had been lost in a society that no longer cared about them. Those people where all just lost children who just needed a little help up.

The crowds thinned out as Sakura went along. The buildings became less and less appealing, the ground became more and more cracked and often crumbled beneath her feet. Sakura turned a corner and met a scruffy beard, half-dead eyes, and overworn clothes. She had been startled but her anxiety faded when she recognized the face beneath the thick grey beard.

"Hello. Will you be attending dinner tonight?"

The man smiled, teeth lost to his long hard fight with the disease that had nearly consumed his life ten years before.

"Why that sounds lovely, miss Mamiya. I hadn't realized it was Saturday already."

He was well spoken, and obviously cared about his mannerisms. Sakura was reminded that sometimes bad things did happen to good people. A single mistake had changed this man's life forever. One stupid mistake was all it took; the best people are not allowed to be human. Some people are not allowed to be human, and make humanly mistakes.

Some people, however, do not even need to make their first mistake to have their life ruined forever. Some people are born into it, as Sakura would find out when she met a strange boy later that night.

)...(...)...(

This is what my firend and I came up with. There have been some murders in our town, so this was partually inspired by that.


	2. The Boy With Red Eyes

**Hell on Earth**

The Boy With Red Eyes

Sakura chatted with the regulars while waiting for the casserole to finish heating up. Many said again that this would be the last time they ate there, but it never really was. Some chatted about how well their children were doing in school, some grumbled commonly about how hard it is to find a place to shower or wash their clothes. Some of their stories got a little long-winded, but Sakura loved listening to these people's tales long and short, just listening; they had lived lives longer and more interesting than most of the kids she went to school with.

"There's a new kid around here too, I don't think he's got any parents. I'm fairly sure he doesn't have anywhere to live," a woman said petting the hair of her sleeping toddler.

"How old is he?" a man asked.

Sakura could not help overhearing as she poured water for a table of people.

"Real young. Maybe like 15 or 16. It's a sad sight. I was homeless when I was not much older than him, and it's a horrible thing. No kid should have to go through that." She looked sadly down at her son, hoping she could hold onto her apartment until he was old enough to get a job of his own.

Sakura thought about it. That was the same age she was. She got to go to school, she had parents who worked hard to support her, and if for not her volunteer work, she could not imagine living so young and on the streets. It made her feel sick.

"Be sure to tell him about this place okay? If you should see him," Sakura said.

There was an office here dedicated to getting youth off the streets especially. There were other places too that could help him secure a place to live until he could manage the rent on his own. They had connections to places that could help locate family members or places to take him in.

"If you see him, you really can't miss him. He's got bright red hair."

...*(*(*(*(*(*((*(()*()*()(*()(*()(*()(()(*()*()(*()*()(*()(*()(*()(*()(*()(*()(*()(*((*()(*()(*()(*()(...

Sakura closed the door behind her. She had stayed extra late tonight, so that she could help clean up for tomorrow's early morning NA counselling sessions. The streetlamps had already come on even though it was May. She walked along the familiar street she had always taken to get home, but considering it was so late she decided to call her mom and her know when she would be home.

She dialed and waited for someone to pick up. When she got the answering machine, she started to leave a message, and as she spoke she was completely unaware of the presence behind her. She did not realize that while daily dwellers around here are nothing to worry about, night prowlers still crept about.

She hung up, sighing. She heard a noise.

"Hello? Is anyone there," she asked as a reflex.

She heard no response, so she assumed it was a cat or stray dog. She continued walking, but she heard footsteps.

"Come on, I know you're there. The only thing I can tell you is that we'll be serving dinner again tomorrow night."

Her heart began to pound. She knew someone was there, the fact they wouldn't respond is what was frightening her. She balled her fists and started to walk again. A figure crossed her path from the corner. She stopped when he spoke.

"What are you doing out so late missy?"

She was far enough back that she knew she would be able to run if she needed to.

"It's dangerous in these parts for a rich kid like yourself to be out."

_So, a thief?_ She thought. She took a step backwards, but stiffened when she heard a different voice from behind her.

"Especially when you're such a cute little girl."

She was grabbed around her waist and she squealed. The first man got closer to her. The man behind grabbed onto her thigh and she twisted to bite his arm. He snarled and loosened his grip, so she spun and kneed him. He fell, tearing her tights and she ran with the first man turning to follow her. She was now no longer at a distance where she could outrun him. She turned a corner, crossed roads, and ran until she didn't even know where she was anymore, but she man remained right on her tail. She pushed over a trashcan, like in the movies, but it only caused her to topple over along with it. Not quite movie-like.

She was tackled. She screamed for the man to get off of her, but of course he wouldn't listen. She was rolled onto her back to face the man. His features were too obscured by shadow for her to ever even be able to identify her attacker. She punched and thrashed, but to no avail. She saw feet from under the man's body, heard running footfalls and knew it couldn't get any worse. She slammed her eyes shut. A boy's growl and a loud 'CRACK' were something that made them reopen.

The man's body was no longer a weight atop her; he had been flung to the side. She looked and saw he was grasping his shoulder. Above her a boy now stood, holding a two-by-four like he had just swung a bat. He took a step, standing between her and the man stumbling to his feet. The man snarled, and the boy swung again, hitting him in the head.

"Get out of here!"

The man beat feet, holding his bleeding skull and made his way out of the alley.

The boy dropped the two-by-four and dropped his hands to his sides. He looked down at Sakura and she stared back up at him for several seconds. His messy red hair could not cover what caught Sakura the most; his red eyes. His hair was easily dyed that shade of red, but contacts never looked natural. His eyes though, were unnatural in colour, but entirely organic. They were still intense from adrenaline and instinct told her she should get away. She scuffled away a bit, but the boy spoke then.

"Are you alright?" he asked, calmly, slowly, and concernedly. He meant no harm. He held out his hand.

She looked at him a bit more, decided, and then took his hand up. She stood, and he backed off a little bit, giving her some space.

"…Thank you…" she told him after dusting herself off.

"…uh…Not a problem…" he muttered after a second.

_What are you supposed to say in a situation like this? _The both of them thought to themselves.

"I… Suppose I should get going…" Sakura said, she took a step towards the alley exit, and then realizing she didn't know where she was.

"Um… where is this exactly?"

"What?"

"There aren't… any street signs here. I'm not sure how to get home."

"Well, where do you live?"

He paused. "I-I mean, not like your address, or even your street. Just the um… General area. I don't really need to know. I just-"

"What's your name?"

"My name?" he flinched.

"Yes. I'm Mamiya Sakura. Who are you?"

He glared at a faraway object somewhere. "Why do you need to know?"

Sakura scoffed. "I was just curious. You don't have to be rude."

The boy looked back at her, then blinked at the ground below. "My name is Rinne."

"No family name?"

"My family name's not important."

"Okay Rinne," she bowed "thank you, for… what you've just done…" she again, wasn't sure how to finish.

A growl made her eyes return to the boy. He held a hand over his stomach. His fingers were thin, as was the rest of him. She wondered when his last meal was.

"Rinne? Are you hungry?"

"N-No. Not really," he lied.

"Well… I can't help right now, but I work at the HHSC building on weekends, where you can get a free meal. If you… want… you can stop in tomorrow."

"I'll think about it," he muttered again in that low, shy voice again.

"Um… Since I don't know the way, and it's… obviously dangerous for me to be out alone, would you consider walking me home?"

"I don't know if that's a good idea."

"Why?"

"I… Yeah, I guess I can."

The pair started to walk out of the alley, and Sakura couldn't help but ask.

"How old are you?"

"I'm sixteen. Why?"

"Are you in school?"

"…No… I dropped out. I couldn't pay tuition."

"Oh… do you live around here?"

"If you can define it as such, yeah."

"So… are you homeless or something?"

Rinne stopped. "Why do you ask so many questions?"

"I just want to know."

Rinne exhaled in a growl. "Yeah, I'm homeless right now."

"What happened?"

"You don't need to know," he scoffed, but continued "But I'll tell you. My father belongs in prison. No, he belongs in Hell. My life has been Hell up to now. Now, I'm making it better, away from him."

"What did he-"

"No more. I'm done. Your house should be right up ahead."

She ran up to one of the houses and told Rinne to wait outside. She opened the door with her key, and was back outside in about thirty seconds.

She smiled when she realized he had not run off. She handed him a half-eaten bag of chips. He stared. And stared at her, and the bag of chips.

"I owe you a lot more, but will except this for a start?"

"I… don't deserve-"

"Really. Thank you."

He looked down to where her beige tights had been torn. He had saved her from what could have been after all. He looked at her face and her smile pierced right through his heart. His face flushed and he nodded and immediately turned to leave. His heart raced. And he subconsciously decided he would have to find that HHSC building-if only to see her again.

Sakura couldn't sleep. Her parents had spent the last hour trying to consol her, when she was actually fine with what happened. They tried to convince her not to volunteer tomorrow, but Sakura did not care. So long as she was home before dark, she would be fine right?

It wasn't just that. That boy had her mind occupied. How could someone have eyes that red? Why wouldn't he give his full name? What had his father done to him? After a few hours, she decided she didn't want to know. Tomorrow was Sunday, and she would need sleep in order take care of her Sunday chores.

...(...)(...)(...)...

NA is "Narcotics Anonymous" I know because of Daevon's parents. Lovable people, but they made some stupid decisions in their life. I've never personally been homeless, so all I know is bounced off of her parents. Daevon helped me write this chapter.

HHSC is just some random acronym I made up, Human and Health Services and Counselling.


	3. Stay Out of Trouble

**Hell On Earth**

Stay Out of Trouble

Sakura awoke late that morning to her mother knocking on her door.

"Sakura, we're going to be out running errands today, so could you make sure to get that bathroom cleaned?"

She stretched and yawned.

"And if you're going to leave the house today, make sure you let me know, okay?"

"Mom, I'll be fine."

Her mother shook her head.

"I know that, but please?"

Sakura listened to her mothers footsteps down the stairs and out the door. Sakura stretched and made her way downstairs. It was already 10 o'clock. She fixed herself some eggs, got dressed and started on her chores. When she had finished the last bit (cleaning her room), she realized it was only just noon.

She pulled down her history book and began to study for the upcoming exam. She finished taking notes on the final two chapters and sighed. It was now 12:35. She turned on the TV, sat through an episode on 'Ninja Warrior' and laid out on her back, bored. She stared at the ceiling for a bit, then she growled and rolled over. She decided she would go outside, maybe go for a walk or something, head over to HHSC a little early, or go to the library. Anything was better than being bored on a Sunday afternoon.

She braided her hair, stuffed her phone wallet in her jeans, and made herself an egg sandwich. She munched out it as she unlocked the door, absent of manners. She startled when she opened the door to a figure standing there. A pair of red eyes stared her down.

"It's bad manners to walk and eat."

Sakura seized up. The boy blinked in realization.

"I didn't mean to scare you, I'm sorry."

Sakura loosened and put a hand to her pounding heart.

"Yeah, you did startle me a bit," she smiled. "Excuse me, but I'm just going for a walk, she started to pull the door closed.

"I'm sorry to say, but if you're thinking of going back there today, that's not a good idea," his eyes remained still as he said this.

"G-going back where?"

"You know."

Sakura started to feel uneasy.

"What's this about?" Sakura eyed him suspiciously.

"Just… heed this warning," his eyes darted about now, composure somewhat broken.

Sakura raised a brow. "Rinne was it? Would you like to talk about… whatever this is? Come in," she offered him the door.

He squinted. "Are you insane?"

"What?"

She was offended! For Sakura being such a calm individual, she sure was getting worked up over this boy. She had been insulted numerous times in her life, but this boy was starting to tick her off. Her jaw dropped and she gave him the look of 'how dare you'.

"Any girl that willingly lets some strange boy in when she's home alone, seems pretty crazy to me."

"I'm not home alone," she gasped.

"C'mon. Yes you are, " he scoffed, "I saw your mom and dad walk out toge…um…" he stopped abruptly when he realized what he was saying.

Sakura stared at him wide-eyed.

"How long have you been watching me?"

His eyes widened just as much.

"I didn't, I mean…"

"You've been watching me."

"N-no! I didn't-I-uh….I just-"

"What? Just what?"

"Okay. Let me start over. I know you had a rough night, and because of what I heard early this morning, I wanted to make sure you stay home."

"You were watching out for me?" she was confused. "Rinne, what is going on?"

He stared at the ground. "I can't say for sure, and out of what I do know, I can just tell you it's best to stay out of the slums tonight."

She shut the door behind her. "You won't tell me, and yet you want me to listen?" She locked the door. "For right now, I'm only taking a walk. We'll see where I go."

She walked on past him. He followed her. Sakura looked around; it was a bright sunny day, a group of kids rode their bikes in the street, while parents watched, so she felt safe, despite the crazy boy tailing her. She walked on in silence for a ways out of her neighbourhood. She still turned back to him when she rounded a corner into a convenience store parking lot, and told him, "I really don't like this feeling. Can you please let me be?"

He closed his eyes, and in that time she walked into the store, and when she looked back, he was gone. She stared out the window, waiting to see a bit of bright red to draw her eye as to where he was hiding, but she saw nothing after a good ten seconds.

"Miss? Are you going to buy something?"

She shook her head and walked outside. Had the boy really left her alone?

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"Road construction? I didn't know there was any construction going on in this part of town."

A man with an oddly long ponytail nodded. He wore a florescent vest, as any construction worker should. Sure hardly anyone went through this part of town, but they shouldn't just close a road without telling anybody could they?

"Just replacing a pipe. Shinai hasn't been maintaining these parts like we should. Speaking of which, you should run along home. You really don't belong in the seedier parts now do you?"

He was a tall man, with curly black hair and leering eyes. Sakura remained unfazed by all of this. Something just wasn't right.

"I volunteer at HHSC."

"It's closed today," he said too quickly.

Now she knew something was up. She decided to play it by ear.

"Is it?"

"Yeah."

"You sure?"

"Run along kid."

"All right. Thank you for informing me," she bowed.

She left, watching him out of the corner of her eye. As soon as he turned his back, she dashed into a side street, out of view.

She however, ran right into a dark grey hoodie. She heard a soft 'oof' and backed back up. She realized who it was again, by the shade of his hair.

"What are you-"

"What are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay home," his voice held no hanger though, no concern, it was just a blank monotone.

She turned around him, and continued on her way.

"Hey!" he whisper-shouted.

She turned only a little to see him.

"Come here," he told her.

She took a step closer, and he gestured for her to peek around the corner.

"See that man? He's not really a construction worker. And there is no nothing to fix back there," he whispered. "The reason he's there is to guard in case someone sticks their nose into where it doesn't belong. You cross that boundary line, and I don't know what he'll do to you. I don't remember what his name is, but those who know of him call him the 'Kumo Akuma' a spider demon, and he is not something you can just… where'd she go?"

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	4. The Man With Red Eyes

**The Man With Red Eyes**

Rinne ran through the alley which Sakura had likely taken. She was running into dangerous territory. He ran for a bit, looking for freshly scuffed dirt, or a startled cat, which would have meant Sakura had, just ran past. Around a corner, he caught a glimpse of a braid, and the blue shoes Sakura had been wearing.

This area was long past the help center. She had run directly into the epicentre of trouble. He knew right away the girl did not have her wits about her. She had gotten lost only two blocks off from her normal route yesterday, how did she ever expect to find her way home this way?

He stopped when he turned the corner and saw Sakura panting.

"You," he swallowed, trying to catch his own breath, "weren't trying to get away from me were you?"

She shook her head.

A loud 'BANG' shook the both of them. _'A gunshot?' _Rinne thought. A cat ran away from the sound, but Sakura stood straight and started jogging towards the sound. She really didn't have any sense. He had no choice but to try to stop her.

"Stop! Now!" He called.

She kept running. He sprinted after her.

"Have you no sense woman? Have you never heard that sound before?"

He thought on it for a second. The closest she had likely come was the sound from TV. He caught up to her, tackling her to the ground, and sliding across the ground right to the heels of a man carrying a katana in his left hand.

"What are you doing? Let go of me," Sakura struggled.

Rinne held fast. He was more frozen than anything as the man turned to the pair. He smirked.

"Well, well. If it isn't Sabato's kid."

The voice of the man drew Sakura's eyes to him. Rinne shuffled away, but at that moment, the door the man had been guarding flung open.

A man with greying hair stepped out and into the light. He held a gun in his right hand and Sakura saw that his sweater's sleeve was spattered with a red substance that made her heart pound. The man rubbed his cheek where a bruise was forming.

"That bastard hit me. Can you believe it? I didn't plan on finishing him, but he'd wasted the money anyway, so he was really of no use to us," he seemed not to notice the two children in the road until the other man pointed them out.

"And how much did you two seee… Ah, the lost boy's showed up. Come to visit daddy, eh Rokudo?"

Sakura glanced briefly at Rinne, who glared at the man above them, but still held onto Sakura.

"C'mon! You got two minutes to get this place cleaned out," a man shouted from inside the room, as another man stepped out.

"Oh come now, Hiro, there's no need to be quite so harsh," the last strange man said. He wore a yukata, not the strangest thing in the world, but what was strange was his hair. Red as blood, and except for a slight waviness, very familiar to her. He opened his eyes, exposing the red orbs Sakura knew she had seen before.

The man caught sight of the children and gasped aloud. A smile, less devious than his partner's, curled his lips.

"Oh, what a joy, my little boy," he spoke, and the way he did so made any rational person realize how untrustworthy a person he was. His tone wasn't mocking, but it held that sort of air.

Rinne's muscles snapped back into motion after sitting frozen for too long. He leapt to his feet and pulled Sakura by the arm.

He didn't feel or hear anything as he ran. He rounded corner after corner they way he had run just minutes before.

A shrill "LOOK OUT!" finally snapped him from his state.

A knife flashed in front of his face. He halted his pace and looked behind him.

Strangely, none of the men from the building had chased him. The man with the throwing knives was the city worker. No, the man disguised as a worker. The man known as "Kumo Akuma."

Another blade flew past Rinne's face and dodging it turned out to be no better than being hit by it. The man closed the gap between Rinne and himself at a blinding speed. A short sword was pulled from the man's fluorescent vest.

In a flash of metal, red blood coloured the grey pavement.

Sakura screamed.

The sound of screeching metal, like nails on a chalkboard, filled the air.

The muscles of Rinne's arms quivered. He, however, remained unharmed. His muscles, in fact, strained against the katana blade with a blade of his own.

The man held his bleeding side with one hand, and pushed the blade with his other. Even against the man, both matched by one hand as Rinne held Sakura behind himself, the immature muscles of a sixteen-year-old were no match for a grown man with years of training to become feared by the entire underground. Especially considering how pissed off he was at being deemed a lookout for the day. Rinne's wrist strained awkwardly as his pocket knife was forced further and further back towards him.

He kicked out the man's leg from under him, only causing the trained man to become slightly unsteady, but allowing Rinne an opportunity to kick the katana from the man's hand.

The enraged man grabbed the boy by the hoodie front and punched him with his bloodied left hand. Rinne was sent flying, finally releasing Sakura. The force of the blow hadn't successfully knocked the boy out, but Rinne's vision blurred and his thoughts became likewise.

The man stood to his full height, and glared down at the boy.

"I don't care if you are that bastard's son, this here is where I keep my promise, boy."

"Or perhaps," he lifted his hand to show the blood from his side, "I'll just kill you, instead of just cutting those hands off."

Sakura had to act fast, she didn't know how, but she had to stop this man. She grabbed onto his ponytail as he leaned over to retrieve his blade. She pulled him to the ground as he snarled in pain, and she kicked the blade as far away as she could. He reached up and grabbed hold of her wrist, but she scratched his face with her nails. He trapped her elbow with his chin and shoulder and flipped over to force her to the ground. He pinned her with his own body.

She just glared as her arms were trapped now.

"Don't worry girl, I don't have a taste for children," he said, now standing above her.

He grabbed her by a pigtail. "Doesn't feel good eh? You should really think before grabbing people's hair like that, you little bitch."

He looked around for his katana, but noticed first that Rinne was nowhere in sight. He spun in a circle, seeing no hide or tail of the boy.

"Oh, kiddo?" He called mockingly. "You've got a long way to go to become a man, you know that? Leaving a helpless girl to old Naraku like this."

He laughed. "Though if I had my way you wouldn't have a chance to become a man to begin w-augh!" he cried out. A throwing knife, one of his own, had found it's way into his back, near to his spinal cord.

Behind him, the boy who had thrown the knife emerged from the midday shadow of a tall rundown apartment complex. His face was bruised, and his hand had been cut by his own knife in his fall. The man released the Sakura and frantically dug for the knife in his back.

Sirens were audible in the distance, not that any of the three heard them. Sakura ran towards Rinne the instant she got to her feet, but it was that second the man removed the blade from his spine and threw it right back at the girl. His aim was bad this time, but he still managed to catch her in the shoulder. She fell, holding her shoulder.

"Sakura-Mamiya!"

The blade clattered next to her. The wound wasn't deep but it hurt. Rinne dropped to her level.

"Stop right where you are! All of you!"

The two males turned towards the voice from the edge of the block. Sakura hurt too much to look. A young police officer stood there, gun drawn, and aimed directly at the older man. A spark of recognition narrowed the officer's eyes.

"Well if it isn't Naraku. Bested by a pair of twerps eh? Losing your touch as you age?"

Naraku grit his teeth. The whitish haired cop could speak for himself, as he wasn't much older that the teenagers crouched on the ground. Probably just out of high school, despite his odd hair colour.

"Kain…" The man growled.

Three police cars pulled up, cops jumping out with guns drawn.

Naraku growled, and threw a tiny ball, smoke flooding the street and masking him as he made his escape. Rinne and Sakura coughed as the smoke dissipated.

For some reason, the pair had been split up. Sakura in the back of an ambulance, and Rinne in a police car.

"What? Jail? Why?" Sakura squealed as Rinne was put into cuffs.

"From the looks of it," Kain looked at the bloodied ground, "we could charge him with assault, or attempted murder-"

"WHAT? He was defending himself and me-"

"Slow down," Kain told her, "I said we_ could_ charge him. Mostly we'll just be asking him questions."

That was something Sakura wanted too. She wanted to ask Rinne a _lot_ of questions. She was sure she knew a few answers, but she needed confirmation. One of these which she believed she knew was why the name Sabato sounded to familiar. Compounded with 'Rokudo' made Rokudo Sabato, whose name she had heard on the news lately. And 'Rokudo' was what that man called Rinne. Considering the similarities also, the only explanation in Sakura's mid was that Rinne was the son of a crime boss.

Kain backed out of the way of one of the paramedics jumping into the ambulance. "And after you heal up a bit, we'll ask you some questions as well," Kain nodded and the ambulance doors shut.

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	5. The Interrogation Has Only Begun

**The Interrogation Has Only Begun**

Sakura watched the silhouettes of her parents pacing outside her hospital room. The doctor had told them he would release their daughter later in the day, yet they were still waiting. Finally another figure approached her parents and she watched her father's shadow nod. The relieved face of her mother poked through the curtains and informed Sakura they could leave. Sakura's father was overly cautious in helping Sakura hop off the bed, as her arm was in a sling, but Sakura shooed him away.

The three of them walked out to the car, but Sakura hesitated before getting in.

"Sakura?" Her mother asked when she noticed the dazed look on Sakura's face.

A few seconds went by.

"Mom, dad. Before we go home, can we do something first?"

Her parents shared a knowing glance.

"That boy?" Her mother asked.

Sakura nodded. She had relayed everything about the day, the curly haired man, the man with blood on his sweater, the gun, the man with the katana, everything. Well, not everything. The details of the red-haired man she had left out. As well as her suspicions of Rinne's parentage.

"He was the same one from last night?" Her father asked this time.

She nodded again, this time looking back and forth between her parents.

"It might have turned out a lot worse if it weren't for him."

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"Kain, how many times have we been through this? My connections to him are about as knowledgeable as you towards your dad."

"Rokudo, leave him out of this," Kain glared.

Rinne growled and laid his head against the cool table.

"Tell me again how you knew he was going to be in those parts today?"

"A kid hears things," he sighed, "and I never said I knew _he _going to be there, just that something was going down today. I wasn't sure exactly what it was."

"But it worried you enough to contact that girl, to inform her of the danger?"

"Yeah."

"And why did you do that? Why didn't you call the police? Why did you only go out of your way to protect her, when there were others who would've benefited from police surveillance?"

Rinne growled again.

"I dunno. Maybe 'cause I'm sixteen and don't think things through."

"And I'm only seventeen, Rokudo."

Rinne lifted his head. To Kain he whispered, "How are you even working here? You're just a kid."

Kain brushed off the comment. "You have to know something."

"I don't. And one would think with _your _connection to him that you'd be more informed than I would."

Kain leaned over and whispered to Rinne.

"I'm going to pretend that's in reference to my job."

Rinne raised his eyebrows. "Why are we being videotaped?"

Kain leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his uniform.

"Alright," there was obviously no more he would be able to get from the younger boy, "you want a snack?"

Rinne held his head. "What I want is an ice pack."

Kain nodded.

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Rinne nearly smacked into someone as he left out the door of the police station. He apologized and continued on, until someone called to him, "Wait!" He looked straight in front of him to a man and woman he thought he recognized. He turned behind him to where the voice originated. He blinked. The one he had bumped into was none other than Sakura Mamiya. Her arm was in a sling and Rinne's stomach twisted.

He looked back at the two people he recognized. They were Mr. and Mrs. Mamiya. Rinne felt his body stiffen. Their daughter was hurt, and Rinne knew (as was the course of his life) that he would somehow be blamed for it. He didn't even bother to move. Whatever punishment was coming his way would come, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"This is him?" Mrs. Mamiya asked Sakura.

Sakura looked at the boy. He looked awful, he had a bandage over his cheek, a very obvious black eye, and his right hand was wrapped in gauze, but yes, that was the right boy.

"Thank you," Mr. Mamiya said suddenly bowing his head to the boy.

Rinne startled when Mrs. Mamiya bowed also.

"W-w-what is this?" He stuttered. He didn't understand what all the bowing was about.

"You saved our only child. Without you there, who knows what could have happened to her," said Mrs. Mamiya straightening herself back up.

"Twice," Sakura added with a smile.

Rinne shook his head. "N-no. I just happened to…"

"Have you anywhere to stay tonight?"

Rinne blinked at the man's question.

"If you don't, we do have a spare room."

Rinne continued to shake his head, but the girl's parents continued to talk about his staying with them, how lovely it is to have a houseguest, what they should eat for dinner, and even how long he should actually stay.

"I really don't think I should stay," he interrupted suddenly.

A blush crept to his cheeks when the pair of adults looked back at him.

"It's not as if… as if I don't appreciate the gesture, I really do, but… you and I are really strangers so is really wouldn't… be the best idea…I think…"

Mr. Mamiya laughed. "You're right, we haven't been properly introduced have we?"

"That's not what I-"

"You're name is Rinne right?" Asked Sakura's mother.

Rinne nodded.

"Is there a family name to go with that?" She smiled.

Rinne cast his eyes to the ground. "That's not important."

"Then, Rinne-san, won't you stay the night? I'll make fried chicken."

Rinne couldn't help but perk up at that. How did the woman know he loved fried food so much?

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Before dinner, Mr. Mamiya had given Rinne the opportunity to use their shower. Mrs. Mamiya had asked if she could give his clothes a wash. He insisted that wasn't necessary, but she handed Rinne a t-shirt and sweatpants to wear after his shower. After which Rinne didn't resist too much.

A real shower was wonderful. A far cry from locking himself in a Laundromat bathroom for a quick scrub once in a while. It had been months since he had been able to feel totally clean, and he was really enjoying the experience. It was nice.

He sat in the living room after his shower while dinner was being prepared. When Sakura's mother caught Rinne trying to reapply his old bandages she quickly stopped him and brought out the first-aid kit. He protested when she tried bandaging up his hand, but she won out, treating him like a little child with an owie rather than the young man he was.

Actually, he blushed a bit, It had been a while since he had a mother-figure to take care of him. She smiled at him when she had finished and got up to tend to dinner. He watched her walk away, and realized he really missed his grandmother. It was times like this he regretted his decisions.

Slippers padded over the wood floor, making him look up at the figure walking towards him. Sakura stopped next to him and came down to sit next to him.

She sighed as if she wanted to say something, but only silence passed, causing Rinne to raise a brow.

Another second passed before Rinne spoke.

"Is there something you wanted to say?"

Another second passed. Sakura looked at the TV screen.

"Thank you."

Rinne made a noise and looked away from her.

"No," she said tapping his shoulder so he would look at her, "I mean that. I really do… and there's something that I-"

"Sakura, Rinne-san, dinner's ready," Mrs. Mamiya informed the pair.

Rinne looked back at Sakura.

"Sakura Mamiya?"

She looked at the clock for some reason.

"We'll talk later," and she stood up and headed for the dining room.

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At dinner Rinne attempted to get the conversation off of anything to do with him, but the girl and her parents still managed to get a little information out of him (he was 16, his favorite color was _not _red, his hair was naturally that color, he didn't know if his eye color had anything to do with a recessive gene for albinism [nor did he care], and his favorite ice cream flavor was strawberry) before they gave up on asking him questions. Thankfully they didn't ask about his family or the police questioning earlier in the day.

Mrs. Mamiya kept trying to force more food on him, offering him seconds, thirds and so forth, even after he swore he was full. The kindness of this family was truly amazing, he thought. He didn't see what he had done to deserve this much consideration. In his mind, if he had never gotten tangled up with Naraku, Sakura would have never gotten hurt. Guilt of that clouded his mind to any of the good he had done that afternoon or the night previously.

Sakura's parents set Rinne up with a futon in a half-empty storage room down the hall from theirs, but Rinne didn't mind in the slightest. How nice to sleep on an actual bed!

Although her parents would keep her home from school tomorrow following the day's events, Sakura complained that she was very tired and went upstairs to bed at a normal bedtime. Following suit, Rinne stood in the doorway of the storage room and bowed to the girl's parents. He thanked them again for their extreme kindness and went to bed himself. He had to smile as he curled up under the covers, he felt warm and oddly safe in a stranger's home.

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He fell asleep with ease, something he rarely did. Later, around midnight, a small squeak woke him. His eyes snapped open when he realized that the squeak the door to the room. He looked around, remembering where he was, and that he had been most likely too deep in sleep to hear them approach from outside the door.

Then the door closed slowly. A figure now stood in the room, just in front of the door. Rinne squinted into the darkness. When most people entered the room of a sleeping person, they didn't close the door behind them, and they didn't just stand there in front of it.

"Who's there?" he said sharply, startling the figure.

"Shhh! Don't wake my parents up," it whispered, indicating itself as Sakura Mamiya.

She turned the knob to the lights barely, so that there was just enough light for the pair to see each other.

"Rokudo-kun. About earlier," she began, sitting across from him.

"Rokudo? So you heard that."

He sat up looking at the girl in pajamas. Her hair was down, but it was still wavy from her braids.

She nodded.

"I've got some questions for you."

Rinne sighed. He had hoped to avoid more interrogation.

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**Please review!**


	6. Escape

**Escape**

Rinne pushed the covers from his legs and sat with legs crossed. He sighed heavily before nodding for her to continue. The part of his brain designated to answering questions suddenly felt exhausted with the course of his day.

"I know you're the son of Rokudo Sabato, so how is it that you're… how should I ask this..?"

"Not involved in his business?"

"Y-yeah…"

Rinne closed his eyes and leaned back.

"Is it not so far-fetched that a man like him would be a deadbeat? I mean, just talking in a stereotypical fashion…"

She thought for a second.

"I can see that. So how did that guy -Naraku- know you?"

Rinne was silent for a time.

"Do I have to answer that?"

Sakura looked at him very seriously.

"I can't force you."

He knew full well she was trying to use a sort of reverse-psychology…partly because of the silence. She had yet to ask another question…he knew what she was doing, but he grumbled inwardly the moment his mouth opened unconsciously to answer.

"I did live with my dad a little while…"

He kicked himself for starting _that_ conversation.

"You see, when I was 13, I was kidnapped…"

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_ "Rinne, smile."_

_ Rinne just fisted his bandaged hand and glared away from Sabato. _

_ "It will heal in no time. It was an accident besides."_

_ "As far as you know," Rinne scoffed._

_ "What? I told him from the get-go not to be too rough, it's just training after all."_

_ That not the fact. It may have started with Naraku taking him on as a sort of student, but now, with his father out of the complex during the matches, Rinne discovered Naraku's distaste for his position as the boy's retainer. He also discovered he had a natural talent for fending off the increasingly violent attacks of his "trainer". He refused to tell his father a word of the things Naraku had threatened towards him. _

_ He hated Sabato. Truthfully, that was something he and Naraku had in common._

_When Naraku finally did slip some cyanide into Sabato's drink, Rinne wouldn't care, but he would be wary of his own drinks._

_Sabato left the room, leaving Rinne alone with Naraku. The man glared down at the boy, who easily returned the feeling._

"_Why don't you tell on me, hm? Too afraid to squeal? Do I frighten you?" _

_Rinne clenched his teeth. _

_A woman, Sabato's secretary, who was barely 18, interrupted the glaring match. _

"_Naraku, how far along is Rinne in training?"_

_He scoffed, "Not far. He's much too stubborn to learn a damn thing," he emphasized his point by stomping his foot._

"_Well then, Sabato's ready to take him out for a _**business trip**_, so you'll just have to come along as Rinne's bodyguard."_

"_WHAT?"_

_The woman left the room before answering. Naraku had heard right. He was designated as bodyguard for the kid; it was glorified babysitting and meant that was all Sabato saw him as. _

_Rinne fought the urge to smirk. This was his chance._

_._

_._

_._

_He was fast. He hoped he was faster than Naraku as he took those stairs two at a time. He made it to the roof, but Naraku was right on his tail as he prepared for the twelve feet that separated the roof of this and the next building. Naraku grabbed Rinne around the waist and spun him to the rooftop's floor. Rinne sprung back up with a pocket knife this time. Naraku grabbed Rinne's wrist, twisting it and the blade behind Rinne's back. Rinne kicked backwards harder than he had in his life, and he heard a crunch, muffled by a snarl of pain from Naraku. He crumpled down, but didn't let go of Rinne. Rinne spun and grabbed the knife in his free hand and stabbed it through Naraku's. Naraku still didn't release him, instead grabbing Rinne by the ankle and pulling him down. Rinne gave a stab to Naraku's other hand followed by a hard kick to Naraku's face. _

_He fell. Rinne had not realized the proximity to the edge of the building, but Naraku fell from the roof. Rinne stood and looked over the edge… it was a six story drop. At the bottom of the drop lay Naraku, appearing dead atop a pile of discarded furniture. A drop like that should not have been survivable. He'd never intended to kill anyone. The stakes had just gotten higher for him._

_He looked across the jump he needed to make. If he missed, he would suffer the same fate as Naraku. He swallowed. He heard a ruckus ascending the stairs. He clenched his teeth and made the jump, catching himself from the stomach up on the other side, scrambling to climb up. He ran to the other end of the building and fled down the fire escape and ran._

_He ran until the next city over, collapsing outside of a library. When he finally got back on his feet, he looked up a map and made his way to his grandmother's house. He stayed with her for three days, but on the forth day, his grandmother woke him and told him to hide. His father came looking for him, she heard his grandmother swat him upside his head several times._

"_I just want to see my son, mom. Is that so wrong?"_

"_You've come to take him back, Sabato. You forget I raised you, I know how you behave."_

"_Mother, you don't underst,"_

_SWAT_

"_Do not talk back to me. Where have your manners gone?"_

_SWAT_

"_Ow. That really hurts you know."_

"_And my grandson came back to me hurting as well. He was covered in scratches and had a sprained wrist. He hardly said a word about it. You're a grown man, so quit whining."_

"_Yeah, well he nearly __**killed**__ good friend of mine."_

_He left. But not before promising that he could never personally hurt her, but he wasn't sure his employees were as nice. Rinne began packing after that. He told his grandmother that having him around would get her hurt. She begged him not to go, but he felt he had to. Especially since Naraku was still alive somehow._

_.  
_

_.  
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_.  
_

"You just left?"

"What else could I do?"

"I don't know, but your grandmother had been without you for so long, to just leave like that…"

Rinne grit his teeth and glared at the floor in front of him.

"Don't think I'm heartless, it was for her sake. I love my grandmother, and I really do miss her… it's too late for me to go back now."

Sakura wasn't sure what to say. A dark cloud seemed to be hanging directly over the small room, blackening the atmosphere. Sakura leaned back against the door. She pulled her arm out of its sling to roll it in circles. Suddenly, a thought came to her. She was hesitant to ask, but it felt pertinent enough despite the atmosphere.

"Isn't he still looking for you? Should you really be in town in which case?"

She spoke calmly and slowly, hoping the question wouldn't seem offensive.

Rinne shook his head.

"He's got another apprentice now, and he would never bother with anything other than that."

"Why did that one guy refer to you as 'the lost boy' then?"

"Something to do with the fact that I ran away. I don't really know, and I don't care what they refer to me as."

"Oh."

Sakura put her arm back in the sling. She looked away from him, but before she did, she noticed how unreadable his expression was. Considering the turn of the conversation, shouldn't he be even slightly angry?

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Sakura was up, bright and early the next morning, although her parents insisted she stay home. She missed breakfast with her dad, but her mom offered to make her something. She sat down on the table, just as she remembered their house guest.

"Don't forget Rinne-kun," Sakura commented as her mother cracked an egg into the pan.

"Oh, that's right. Will you go wake him up for me?"

Sakura stood up and quietly made her way back to the storage room. She knocked, and opened the door to a blanket with as suspicious lump beneath it.

"Rinne-kun."

The lump didn't stir.

"Rinne?"

Strange. He had woken up so easily last night. She crouched down next to the blanket.

"Rokudo-kun."

With that the blanket flew up in the air, and red flashed past Sakura's nose. A moment passed before she had the presence of mind to glance up at the boy with his back pressed firmly against the stack of boxes. He looked about in a panicked way.

"Oh. You're up."

Rinne looked back down, and slouched. When he realized where he was, his expression became that of a boy who'd just woken up, rather than a frightened cat.

Sakura reflected upon the discovery that Rinne Rokudo was not nearly as cool and collected as first impressions would tell. She stood up to finish her thought.

"My mom's making breakfast, so come out when you're ready."

A few seconds after she left the room, she noted that a sleepy-eyed Rinne followed her into the kitchen. She sat down at the table just as her mother scooped the food onto a plate and set it on the table. As Rinne crossed the threshold into the kitchen, he bowed for some reason.

"If it is okay with you, I would rather not eat with you this morning. You have been much too generous to me, and I'd like to take my leave as soon as possible."

Mrs. Mamiya smiled.

"I'm sorry, Rinne-san, but I'd rather not let all this food go to waste, so if you would please eat with Sakura, I would be grateful," she told him as she began to wash her hands.

Through the sound of running water, Sakura whispered, "That's my mom," to herself. Rinne tipped his head up from his bowing position with one eyebrow raised in confusion. How did the woman manage to turn the tables on his like that? Sakura just scooped up some eggs and sat down to a nice breakfast. Rinne stood up as Mrs. Mamiya passed him telling him, "And besides Rinne-san, I still need to give you back your clothes."

Rinne pulled on the front of the T-shirt he was wearing. Sakura waved him over when she had served her plate.

Rinne sighed and sat down to breakfast.

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_"Get up."_

_ Rinne panted from his place on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. He was completely wiped out from today's training exercises. _

_ "I said get up," the man repeated._

_ Normally Rinne was obedient to an image of the perfect apprentice to his father. He did everything he was told, as pain and disgust that he could come from his father twisted in his stomach. He never smiled at anyone at the complex, but he also never talked back. That is, except for 'Kumo Akuma.' He hated how the man constantly taunted him, mocked him every time his foot slipped in practice, kicked him as he struggled to get to his feet._

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"What's wrong?" Sakura asked Rinne.

He stared into his food for a second.

"Rinne?"

He came back to the present with the sound of his name.

"Are you all right?" She asked again.

"Yeah, just had a… thought stuck in my head," he said before shoveling food into his mouth.

Sakura smiled, and just upon rinsing her plate, there was a knock on the door.

She moved to answer and when she opened the door, she gasped and stood still in surprise.

**NOTE**

My good friend Miyori999 drew the cover for this story. Please visit her DeviantART page for more beautiful images like this one.**  
**

**Please Review!**


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